The War and Veterans

Right now on MSNBC Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough is trying to claim that there is no economic disparity with those that are in the military. He is stating that they are well paid and that they do not have to join the military, there are plenty of college graduates serving. So how many of those that are serving are part of the 1%? How many of those families had had loved ones killed, deformed or mentally scarred because they served in any of our wars?

A vast portion of those that are serving do so because they know that it is a job, a pay check, something that they cannot get at home. As a former service member, both enlisted and as an officer, I am deeply proud of those that serve for whatever reasons that they join. Your reasons soon disappear when you realize how much you depend on the person to your right and left. That there is nothing more important than your unit.

Sometimes wars have to be fought. But regardless of the reason, it is the 99% that fight those wars. Those people deserve all of the benefits that we can give them, whether it is education, low interest loans for housing or starting a business, or to care for them after they have been wounded. We should never quibble over the cost.

November 11th was originally designated to remember the end of the Great War.
That was changed on June 1, 1954 to Veterans Day, in remembrance of all veterans. The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m. The purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. To that end, that you all for your past and current service.

A Society for Human Resource Management poll in 2010 found that 21 percent of employers planned to observe the holiday in 2011.[6]

Frank Woodruff Buckles (born Wood Buckles; February 1, 1901 – February 27, 2011) was the last surviving American veteran of World War I.

16,112,566 individuals were members of the United States armed forces during World War II. There were 291,557 battle deaths, 113,842 other deaths in service (non-theater), and 670,846 non-mortal woundings. In May 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that approximately 2,079,000 American veterans are still living.

There are 1.2 million Korean War veterans still alive In 1993, the Defense Department listed 33,686 battle deaths, 2,830 non-battle deaths, and 17,730 deaths of Defense Department personnel outside the Korean theatre.[14] There were also 8,142 U.S. personnel listed as Missing In Action (MIA) during the war.

More than 3 million Americans served in the Vietnam War, some 1.5 million of whom actually saw combat in Vietnam.[281] James E. Westheider wrote that "At the height of American involvement in 1968, for example, there were 543,000 American military personnel in Vietnam, but only 80,000 were considered combat troops."[282] Conscription in the United States had been controlled by the President since World War II, but ended in 1973."

By war's end, 58,220 soldiers were killed, more than 150,000 were wounded, and at least 21,000 were permanently disabled. According to Dale Kueter, "Sixty-one percent of those killed were age 21 or younger. The youngest American KIA in the war was PFC Dan Bullock, who had falsified his birth certificate and enlisted in the US Marines at age 14 and who was killed in combat at age 15. Of those killed in combat, 86.3 percent were white, 12.5 percent were black and the remainder from other races." Approximately 830,000 Vietnam veterans suffered symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder.

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. The DoD reports that U.S. forces suffered 148 battle-related deaths (35 to friendly fire), with one pilot listed as MIA (his remains were found and identified in August 2009). A further 145 Americans died in non-combat accidents. Approximately 250,000[4] of the 697,000 veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War are afflicted with enduring chronic multi-symptom illness, a condition with serious consequences.

As of August 2, 4,683 Americans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) on October 7, 2001 and Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began with the invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003. Of the total deaths, 3,708 were due to hostile fire, and the remainder due to non-hostile actions (such as accident, suicide, or illness). Enlisted personnel make up 83.4% of the total force, and experienced 89.9% (4,212) of the total casualties. Officers (including Warrant Officers) comprise 16.6% of the DOD force and had 10.1% (471) of the casualties.

2.4% (113) of the total fatalities were women, who make up 16% of the total DOD force. Men, who make up 84% of the total force experienced 97.6% (4,570) of the deaths in the two theaters of operation.

Among age groups:

Ages 18-21 -- 28.2% (1,325) of the deaths
Ages 22-24 -- 23.7% (1,108) of the deaths
Ages 25-30 -- 25.6% (1,198) of the deaths
Ages 31-35 -- 10.4% (486) of the deaths
Over 35 -- 12.1% (566) of the deaths

30,490 U.S. service members have been wounded due to combat actions in Iraq and 2,309 in Afghanistan (32,799 total).

Since the beginning of hostilities in Afghanistan in October 2001, more than 1.8 million US troops have served in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan; OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq; OIF), with 37% having deployed at least twice (as of 2009). Studies to date suggest that 10-18% of combat troops serving in OEF/OIF have probable PTSD following deployment, and the ¡prevalence does not diminish over time. PTSD Research Quarterly Winter 2009

http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/